I have a confession to make. I have always had a weakness for dip made with packaged onion-soup mix. When I was little and my mother made it — very occasionally, I must add — it seemed like a miracle that all that flavor could come out of one small package stirred into some sour cream.
As a grown-up, I am more skeptical about packaged and processed foods than I was as a child. Back then, I was mesmerized by their novelty and convenience. At this point, I have to shudder when I read the ingredients list on the side of an onion-soup-mix package.
I don’t really think a creamy dip needs things like partially hydrogenated soybean oil, caramel color, corn syrup and disodium inosinate.
Frankly, I don’t know what that last item is. I am dismayed that my computer’s spell-checking program doesn’t flag it as a nonexistent term. I am persuaded that it is not what one should or could call a food, let alone a healthy food.
I do still love onion dip, however. Just about everyone likes it, so it’s handy for occasions like cocktail parties. As summer settles in — although with the recent ups and downs in the weather, we can never be sure it has settled entirely — my main form of entertaining is either cocktail or dessert parties.
These soirees give me a chance to invite my neighbors over without resorting to a great deal of cooking at a time of year when life is busier than ever. They also generally let me avoid turning on my stove during warm weather.
Granted, many appetizers and desserts do require a little stove or oven time. In fact, the dip below takes quite a while on the stovetop. The cooking or baking can be done in advance, however, either early in the day or late at night. The cook thus avoids heating the house up unnecessarily in the midday heat.
As summer approaches, then, I am concocting a more natural version of my childhood guilty pleasure. This dip starts with the base my mother used to put into her Le Cordon Bleu French onion soup — caramelized onions, mustard and wine.
She used red wine, but I was darned if I was going to open a bottle of wine for the minuscule amount I wanted, so I used sherry. If you feel like drinking red wine, by all means substitute it for the sherry. It will add a fuller flavor to your dip.
I can see adding additional ingredients another time—a little Creole seasoning for kick, some herbs … maybe parsley, dill or thyme … and/or a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Last week for my friend Kathryn’s birthday party, however, I added only some bacon and served it just as it appears below.
This onion-dip recipe takes a little more time than the package-based version, but it’s by no means difficult. The resulting spread tastes fresh yet mellow and satisfying — like French onion soup on a chip with a little bacon on the side. If you are serving vegetarians, omit the bacon and caramelize your onions in a little butter and olive oil instead of the bacon fat.
Either way, the dip tastes great with homemade vegetable or pita chips. I won’t tell the Culinary Recording Angel if you go out and buy your chips, however. That’s precisely what I did for Kathryn’s affair. And no one objected.
Bacon French Onion Dip
Ingredients:
4 to 6 pieces of bacon (about 1/3 pound), cut into tiny pieces
2 large sweet onions, cut into thin slices (my slices could have been thinner!), with each slice cut in half
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste (I used about 3/4 teaspoon sea salt and three grinds of the pepper mill)
1-1/2 cups sour cream (half of this could be Greek yogurt if you want to be healthier)
Instructions:
The dip is best prepared early in the day or even the night before you wish to serve it. It needs time in the refrigerator to let its flavors blend and mature.
In a wide skillet, cook the bacon pieces over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. When they have browned, remove them from the pan and drain them on a paper towel.
Remove all but 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan; set the extra fat aside in case you need more. (You probably won’t, but it’s always good to be prepared for contingencies.) Pop in the onion slices.
Cook them slowly, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until they reduce and turn a lovely golden brown. This will take at least 1/2 hour and may take as long as an hour.
When the onions are almost ready stir in the mustard, and continue to cook, stirring, for at least five minutes. Add the sherry and cook, stirring, until the liquid disappears. This will happen very quickly.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over the onions and remove them from the heat. Return the bacon pieces to the pan. Allow the onions and bacon to cool to room temperature.
If you think your onions are a little chunky and/or stringy, remove them from the pan and chop them roughly. After that, put the onion mixture and the sour cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and stir briskly to combine.
Place the dip in the refrigerator, covered, and let the flavors talk to each other for several hours.
At least an hour before serving taste the dip on a neutral cracker to see whether you want to add any additional flavors (more salt and pepper perhaps?). Bring the dip to room temperature, and serve it with chips or vegetables.
Makes about 2 cups.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.